G'Day from Down Undah

Di and I are enjoying the view of the Glass House Mountains with John and Tracey Swann. This is just north of Brisbane.

Andy's mom, Tracey, is lighting the candles.

John Swann, Andy's step-father, is getting set to perform some wizardry on the barbie. His bacon wrapped filets were magnificent. So good, I got none of Di's!

Crikey there's the Alligator Hunter

Steve and Terry Irwin have done a wonderful job of creating a spectacular sanctuary for wildlife at the Australia Zoo.

Now, this bloke is nasty! He's a Fierce Snake and one drop of his venom is enough to drop 100 men! Best to avoid!

I imagine that the zoo employee is hoping that this salt water croc knows when enough is enough.

I hope these tigers are friendly.

Sulfur crested cockatoos feed in John and Tracey's back yard. These birds are beautiful and huge. With wings spread they look like flying turkeys! Feeding our sparrows and chickadees will seem boring when we go home.

Just another interesting flower. This one is a grevellia.

How civilized! How come we don't provide stainless steel gas BBQ's and instant boiling water for public use in all of our parks??

Looking at Surfers' Paradise from the beach at Burleigh Heads.

Agapanthus and Birds of Paradise line the boardwalk at Burleigh Heads near Surfers' Paradise.

Dusk on Cabarita Beach near Hastings Point.

The beach looking south from Byron Head, the most easterly point in Australia. We were a little disappointed this time at Byron Bay as the 20 or so dolphins that performed in the waters below the light house were not there this year.

Queensland is truly tropical. Here we are driving past a banana plantation. We frequently pass fruit stands selling papaya, mangoes, melons, pineapples, macadamia and pecan nuts as well as all the citrus fruits. I could really get used to this place!

This beautiful jacaranda tree shades a narrow windy back country road just west of Pottsville on the Sunshine Coast.

A beautiful day lily at Heavenly Daylilies in Stokers Siding.

We happened upon the home of the president of the Australian Day Lily Society. Needless to say he and his wife had a huge collection of day lilies. We enjoyed a half hour visit and coveted their amazing varieties.

We are back in Australia

Di's looking down on the harbour and the Opera House from the SE tower of the Harbour Bridge. We had a 3 day Sydney Pass for all the transportation systems and we really saw a lot of Sydney this time.

These hammocks were in the mens prison at the Barracks Museum. Convicts were sentenced to terms of 7 years to life for crimes as silly as stealing bread or a letter. One Mitchell on the roster of convicts to dwell here served a life term for stealing a letter....a bit harsh??

These little meercats really are social animals!

Another good reason for not swimming in the local water holes!

How cute are the koalas? This little guy tired himself out just reaching for another fresh eucalyptus leaf. We paid big bucks to see this guy in a 'zoo' only to get home at the end of the day and find one in a large tree in John and Tracey's front yard!

This salt water crocodile had no trouble lifting his massive body way out of the water for a little food. This is at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.

Di is really taking her task of feeding the Rainbow Lorikeets seriously. We were at the Currumbin Wildlife Santuary on the Sunshine Coast

Just another gorgeous beach. This one is Cabarita beach, just north of Hastings Pt.

We were impressed by the vegetation in the tropical rainforest at Mt. Warning, just inland from Hastings Point in NSW.

G'Day from Down Undah

I am enjoying a banana that we bought from a self-serve fruit stand